What Shall We Die For?
by Codywolf
Summary: What would we leave this planet for? Yes, one of the four will die. It is inevitable in war, but a sacrifice of a life is never wasted when the life means so much to so many people...and mechs. What doesn't kill me DOES make me stronger.
1. Welcome Back, Old Friend and Old Foe

The rumble of a truck woke Emily and she looked up to see a black truck slipping past them and moving into a position in front of them. Ratchet's radio crackled and a deep, male voice echoed through the cab, "Ratchet? That had better be you back there."

Ratchet's soft chuckle answered and his holofrom flickered a little, "Long time no see, Ironhide. How's life been to you?"

They'd been traveling for who knows how long, Sentinel and Ratchet going well above legal speed limits as they raced across the country. Two more cars and some bikes had joined them shortly after passing near Hollywood. Now, by the looks of things, there was the truck and another car, a convertible. Em rubbed her eyes and glanced in the back as Ratchet chatted with whoever Ironhide was. Tom and Honu were curled up together, both fast asleep. After the adventure they'd had over the past couple days, she couldn't blame them. They'd run into a few 'Cons here and there, but they'd run off before any serious damage was done. Either Sentinel or the Autobot named Thunderclap would take care of them.

"Boss says they'll meet us in the main hanger. Everyone else is already there," Ironhide's voice cut through her thoughts.

"Whoa, what?" Em cut in. Nothing was going to happen without her knowing anything. "What is going on?"

"Who's that?" Ironhide growled as another voice cut in.

"Em?" it sounded like Erika.

"Erika?" Em gasped, but the radio suddenly was taken over by another, very authoritative voice.

"Autobots, welcome back to base. It's been too long," the voice was calm, cool, crisp.

"This, Em, is where we're going," Ratchet nodded at the front window and Em looked up, her eyes going wide. Before them, rising over the horizon was a cliff. One side was rounded, blending into the hills next to it. The hill wasn't the amazing part itself. They were drawing towards as well lit fence about a good half mile from the hill. And it wasn't just any fence, it was barbed wire, chain link, electric type fence with guard towers and patrols everywhere. A single road wove its way to the hill, branching off into two directions. One headed for the cliff face, moving to the base of the cliff where a huge door could be seen, metal by the looks of it. Lights lit up a parking lot next to the door and more men could be seen there as well, heavily armed. The other road headed up the hill itself, leading to its most impressive feature. At the top of the hill, accented by the slowly rising full moon behind it, was a massive fortress. It looked like it had been built after one of the medieval castles, tall was and towers covering the perimeter with towers and buildings peaking over the top. It was made of an all white stone or maybe metal, it was hard to tell.

"What is that?" she gasped, in awe of the building before her.

"NEST headquarters," Ratchet nodded. "That's not even half of it. A lot of it is underground."

"But…. why so much?"

"That will all be explained inside," Ratchet sighed as they were waved through the gates. Thunderclap streaked overhead and landed by the door, easily transforming and pulling it open as they pulled up. Ironhide lead the way inside into a massive hanger. Men moved around, but the majority of the movement came from the far end where more Autobots stood. Ironhide led them over, everyone staying silent. Ratchet pulled to a stop not too far away from the Autobots and popped his doors open, "Well, I need to stretch my legs."

"Mom, what's going on?" Tom moved up front as Honu jumped out. All the other vehicles were around them now, slowly transforming into the Autobots' bipedal forms.

"I don't know, hon," Em climbed out, Tom not too far behind, allowing Ratchet to transform. The truck had transformed and was frowning down a human next to it. The person snapped something before moving away and Em caught a flash of red hair. "Erika!"

She wasn't the only one who had yelled and a blur slammed into Erika as Em and Tom rushed over, Honu on their heels. Tom high fived Charles as Amanda let go of Erika and latched on to Em, "What are you two doing here?"

"We're still trying to figure that out," Erika gently pried Amanda off Em. "My ride won't say."

Em glanced up at Ratchet, who had followed, "When do we find out?"

"Soon, very soon," Sentinel moved past moving towards where the other Autobots were moving. "Come on, Optimus is waiting."

"Wait, you mean as in Optimus Prime?" Erika gasped and raced after him. The others followed a little slower, Ratchet and a yellow Autobot staying right behind them.

Most of the Autobots who had been with them sat around the edge of what seemed to be a conference center, some looking amused, some looking worried. In the middle was a table, built to accommodate both humans and Autobots. Sitting at it was three mechs. One was red and blue and very big and had an air about him that screamed leader. He no doubt was Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. The sitting to his right was black and white and it looked like Police might have been written on some of his panels. To Optimus' left and obviously taking a more neutral seat since he was situated between everyone was a red mech. He was slightly smaller than the others, but he seemed to still hold a lot of power. On the other end sat two humans. Well, one human sat, the other was standing in front of a huge map, obviously pissed by the way her shoulders were tense. The human sitting was male, about middle aged with brown hair and soft eyes. He glanced at them briefly before focusing back on the woman standing by the map. She was of average height, wearing black cargo pants and a white tank top. White bandages covering her shoulders and disappearing down her back underneath the tank top broke her dark skin. She had a pistol holstered on her hip and her white hair was pulled back in a braid. She seemed to be in charge at the moment since everyone was staring at her. Ironhide and Sentinel stopped just behind where the Autobots were sitting, stopping them as the woman gestured at the map, "Where the hell did all these 'Cons come from? We've got Devastator, Blackout, a Pretender and Soundwave all sighted and confirmed, plus a half dozen others and still no sign of Megatron."

"Que says someone was messing with his computers up at the station. Figured it was probably Skywarp," the black and white mech growled. "Probably how he got Sarah."

"Look, we have everyone here, so why don't we take a break, check on everyone, get something to eat and come back in a few hours," the man reached out to the woman, gently touching her arm. She seemed to relax under his touch, but didn't turn.

"Fine, a few hours, but then its right back to work, " she nodded, still studying the map.

"That should give Que enough time to fix the computers and get them back online," Optimus nodded, standing and looking down at the humans behind him. "Welcome to NEST."

He and the black and white mech moved away as the other Autobots dispersed, moving towards a side hanger. Another mech moved over by them, "Op says Barricade's in bad shape."

"I'll go have a look at him, Jazz," Ratchet nodded before glancing down at Em. "Stay here with the others. I will be back soon."

"Take your time," Em waved him off. "Say hi to your friends while you can."

Ratchet smiled before moving off and she turned back to the others. Erika was about to say something when someone cleared his or her throat nearby. They all turned to see a familiar face.

"So, what do you want to know first?" Carolyn was leaning against the table near them, her arms crossed. The man was standing next to her, smirking a little. Erika took a step forward and swung a fist at Carolyn.

"You did this!" Erika hissed, but her fist never connected. Carolyn caught it in her hand and smiled at them.

"So, this is how you say hello in Canada?"


	2. A Long Explination

_Sorry its been so long since I've last updated. I have both of my major stories in the works right now, but both have been worked on for like the past month. I just can't find a lot of time to sit down and type anymore. This does not mean I will drop them, though. It just means it may be a while before I update again. Just be patient and don't worry. The creative juices are still flowing, just in like fifty million different directions at the moment. _

"So, this is how you say hello in Canada?" Carolyn smirked before releasing Erika's hand, still leaning against the table. Erika glared at her, holding her smarting hand close. Her fist connecting with Carolyn's palm had hurt.

"Last I checked, that's how we also said goodbye," she snarled, seething. Carolyn had the gall to kidnap them via giant robots and bring them to a secret base. If she wasn't sane, she would be spouting off conspiracy theory's here!

"My dear, we do have a temper," the man laughed, shaking his head. "I'm Will, by the way. Will Lennox, colonel and ambassador for the Autobots."

"Nice to meet you," Amanda smiled a little, still watching the two. It was like watching Erik and Charles in the final scenes of X-Men. Two very alike personalities with two very different ideas on everything.

"So, aside from deciding how we're all gonna say hello here, any other issues I could possibly answer for you?" Carolyn turned to the rest of them, smiling a little more as her eyes fell on Tom. "He sure has grown, Em."

"So has Honu," Emily nodded, smiling a little.

"You knew about them!" Erika was getting close her tipping point.

"Yes, I know about a lot of stuff," Carolyn shrugged. "Comes with a big chair, too."

"How about we all sit down," Will stepped in, noticing Erika's rising facial colors. He took Carolyn's arm and led her around the table and pretty much forced her to sit. Amanda glanced at the others before following and sitting as well. Everyone, including Erika, did the same. They all wanted answers and only Carolyn and this Will guy could give them.

"How about we start from the beginning," Emily started, but Carolyn just laughed.

"There are a lot of beginnings to all this, Em. You gotta be more specific," Carolyn glanced at Will, smiling a little more.

"How about you start with when you ran off all those years ago to play GI Jane," Erika snapped, crossing her arms and glaring at Carolyn. For her part, Carolyn remained unphased, smiling sweetly at her.

"Sure, we can start there," Carolyn nodded, leaning forward, resting her elbows on the table and folding her hands together. "Well, after, as Erika so kindly put it, ran away to play GI Jane…"

For the next hour, Carolyn explained her early training, proving herself to be at and above the level of the men she trained against everyday. She told them about her first encounter in Mission City after coming back to the states. Her early tensions with the men, seeing as she had publicly ripped Will apart in the middle of a crisis zone. Getting the men to trust her by nearly getting blown up. Learning to trust the Autobots. The first few years were alright, just building a team, getting to know each other. Then there was the Egypt incident and everything changed.

"We learned that we could only count on ourselves, not the government. They refused to listen to reason, only their own fears. We learned real fast that we needed our own government here and that's when things changed pretty much for the better," Carolyn shrugged, falling silent, looking down. Will rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Want me to continue?" Will looked worried, concerned for her, cared for her. To their immense surprise, Carolyn gave him a weak smile, shaking her head before continuing.

"I was recovering from an accident when we got the call about my dad. I only really went as a cover for the guys investigating. Seems someone in the government contracted my dad to create another Allspark," Carolyn looked them over to make sure they were following. "The Cybertronians can only procreate if they have an Allspark, so it was big when we found out. I spent the time from finding it to the Chicago incident trying to complete his work. As you can see by the return of Ironhide and Jazz, we were successful."

Will huffed and Carolyn shot him a glare, "I ran into Em while in Chicago, she met the Autobots, then this whole thing came up and for your guys' safety, I cut contact. Now, when I did that, I gave you each a crystal. Do you all still have it?"

All of them nodded, each moving to get theirs and holding it up. Carolyn held out her hand, "I need those back now."

"Whoa, what?" Erika drew her hand back. "What the fuck! You give us these as a gift and now you want them back. Entire story before hand."

"Fair enough," Carolyn nodded. "But afterwards I really do need them. I have one as well, if it makes you feel better."

She pulled out a necklace, showing them a crystal much like theirs, "These are shards of the Allspark. We broke it up so that no one, and I mean no one, could use it. The Feds wanted to test it, see its energy potential. The Decepticons want it so they can bring their guys back. We kept it in one piece long enough for the Autobots to get sparklings and that was it. We knew that this diversion would only last so long, but we had to try. Lasted longer than we thought it would, not gonna lie. And don't worry," she shot Erika a glare to keep her quiet. "We had each of you guarded by at least two Autobots at all times."

"So we just give these back to you and we can go?" Amanda looked down at the collar in her hand.

"No," Will cut in. "That's not safe. The Decepticons know you who are now, have seen your faces. Until we can get the situation resolved, you all are staying on base. We've already lost one protector, we don't need to lose all of you."

"Wait, someone has died protecting one of these?" Emily gasped, holding Tom tightly to her.

"Yes," Carolyn took Will's hand as he looked away. "Sarah. She was captured and tortured before being killed about a month ago. They don't need all the shards to bring a Cybertronian back from the dead, only one, but they do need all of them to procreate. And something extra that I added in, but that's my little secret."

"You're saying we could die?" Erika hissed. "You give us these things and not let us know we could die?"

"Ah…yep," Carolyn nodded. "You could die everyday, I just made the death more interesting."

"Why you little."

"MOMMY!" a little boy's voice yelled and they all turned to see a big sleek German Shepard running next to a little boy who was about six or so. He had a huge smile on his face, his shaggy brown hair flopping all over the place. He ran right up to Carolyn and jumped into her lap as the dog sat obediently between her and Will. Everyone just watched, open mouthed, as the little boy shook a finger at Carolyn, "Mommy, you forgot lunch!"

"Did I now?" Carolyn frowned, glancing at the others. "Hon, I'm in a meeting. I'll come up in a bit and eat, ok?"

"Will Papa be coming?" the boy turned to Will and the eyes got wider.

"Sure, kid," Will nodded, chuckling. "Get going. You and Bella need to make us something good."

"Wight! Tawor, lets go!" the boy jumped off Carolyn's lap and raced off, the dog easily keeping pace.

When Carolyn turned to the others, she looked like she had swallowed something vile, "So, guys…um, a lot of other stuff has been going on as well…."

"He's at least six," Amanda cut in, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah…" Carolyn glanced at Will. "That's my son…..and Will's son….."

"Are you two married?" Erika frowned.

"…No."


	3. The Inbetween Junk

_HEY! So I know its been like forever since I last posted, but I promise to do better! Well, no for sures but there will be more effort added to this story. Now, this chapter is gonna be kinda slow, but I am setting up for some major action to come and I just was having trouble getting out the inbetween stuff so this is what I got for ya. I hope you enjoy!_

"…_No."_

Erika's face went from pure white to bright red in about 2 seconds as Carolyn winced. The other two girls flinched away while everyone else around the table looked at each other, confused. They didn't have long to wait….

"You WHAT!" Erika screeched, standing abruptly, sending her chair toppling over backwards.

"Hey! I know, I did it! I went out and did exactly what I told you not to!" Carolyn stood, ready for a fight.

"Yeah, that's exactly what you did! You hypocritical bitch!" Erika snarled, storming around the table. Will stood as though to cut in, but Carolyn waved him off as she met Erika half way. Erika swung a punch at her again, but Carolyn ducked and wrapped an arm around Erika's neck, the other bracing against her neck, forcing her down against the table. Will winced this time, having seen Carolyn do such a move many times, quite of few of those times he had been involved in as the one being held down.

"Now, now, Erika, no need let your temper get the best of you," Carolyn held Erika down, waiting for her to cool off. "Yes, I know I went out and did the exact thing I lectured you on over and over again not to do and yes a child is now involved but that does not mean you go and lose it. I'm not letting you go till to relax."

"I hated it when you did this back then and you just rekindled that hate," Erika hissed.

"This is payback for everything you've done to me. Now we're even," Carolyn smiled as she let go, taking a step back and crossing her arms. "Better?"

"Sure," Erika sighed as she straightened, glaring at Carolyn.

"Good. Now, I'm sorry," Carolyn nodded. "Hungry?"

"Yes, that thing that brought me here didn't have anything for me to eat and it's a long drive from Canada to Chicago," Erika smirked a little.

"Ironhide," Will corrected as he moved to Carolyn's side. "His name is Ironhide and he is a Cybertronian, an Autobot."

"Whatever, I'm hungry."

"Don't mind her, honey," Carolyn took his hand and led him out of the conference room. "She's controlled by her stomach most days."

"I take offense to that!"

"Just come with. Food is upstairs, Energeon is downstairs, simple as that," Carolyn called over her shoulder as she and Will strode across the hanger.

On the outside, NEST headquarters looked cold, unforgiving, deadly. The inside, however, was an entirely different matter….if you knew where to look. Up, in the higher reaches of the NEST headquarters, in the section that was seen above ground, was an area where the human counterparts of the organization lived and they liked their humanity. So, there were gardens and large rooms filled with the little things that helped the soldiers get close to normal after their missions. Private chambers were set aside for each man or woman that connected into larger sections, depending on the squad they were assigned to. In the middle of it all, well protected, was the quarters of the heads of the organization. It was a large area, made up of about twenty rooms. Bedrooms, bathrooms, a kitchen, living room, game room, play room for the kids and a dining room made up this central area. Enough space for the people that lived there and any guests they might have. Guests were rare, so it was enough space for everyone on base to come visit and the occasional Autobot.

The girls could not believe that Carolyn Williams, tomboy to the core, was living in such a lavish place as this. Yes, appearances had to be kept up, but this was over the top. Huge TVs in every room, COM systems connecting the entire place. They had peeked into her room and there was no way that Carolyn needed a giant king sized bed all to herself. So, maybe she was trying to make up for the eighteen years of you life where she gave up everything to make everyone else happy, although by the looks of it she was still doing it.

Teddy, Carolyn's little boy, was cute. He had some of the best manners that had ever been seen in a six year old. He had please and thank you well and called all of them "ma'am". Of course, he was also spoiled to no end, but that didn't seem to stop Carolyn from teaching her son that everything came at a price. Little Annabelle Lennox was another story all together. The twelve-year-old girl was on the verge of pulling preteen attitudes, but didn't quite want to. She had just lost her mother and her father was always in the line of danger. So, when they were introduced, she had given them a shy smile before going back to making sandwiches. She seemed to like Carolyn a lot. Did she know that her father was also the father of the little boy she took care of and played with? They all doubted it but it was highly possible the girl already knew the truth.

What little they saw of the living space of the human NEST operatives gave them all a little insight into what they were dealing with. These people risked their lives and the lives of their families to protect beings that in return gave their undying loyalty to them. The Autobots weren't just aliens to them, they were living beings with as much right to exist as they did. You insult one of the Autobots and you had a whole human army to deal with. It was like being back in high school, where the guys all babied their cars except now it was like ten guys protecting one car. Or one very pissed off gal who wasn't afraid of snapping your neck after just painting her nails. And that gal was right at home among all the craziness. Nothing phased her as she led them on a tour of the base after lunch. Not the huge robots that turned into cars, not the random battles between humans and the robots, not the insanity of any of her warriors. Not the long hours or the dangers of never coming back. Not the undercover missions or that her car was also her driver and personal bodyguard. Not that her son's friends were mainly adults or that the majority of the world hated her for no good reason. She took it all in stride and just kept going. This was not the girl they had know for a large portion of their childhood. This was the woman who had replaced her, had made her whole. The scary part about it was that it bothered all of them. She wasn't the same anymore, she had completely changed. But they all agreed that they would accept this new person because this new person was happier than the girl they had used to know.

So that was how Erika, Amanda and Emily all decided that from that day forth, they would fight alongside the Autobots. If only they knew how much it would dearly cost them in the end.


	4. The Start of Something

**I** cannot predict the future, I cannot change the past, I have just this moment... I will live it like my last.  
><em> Unknown<em>

Time passed in the Fortress, a little slowly for the newest arrivals, but pretty much life was normal. Snow now covered the landscape around the NEST headquarters, almost like a sort of camouflage. Reports came, patrols went out, life stayed a steady flow of activity for the NEST operatives. The girls were happy when Eva, Erika's agent, arrived, although somewhat surprised when she revealed she was a NEST agent. Things were starting to make sense for them…a little, but not completely. Of course, things will change when you add three very lively girls to the NEST mix, which was mainly all male except for a few agents, Carly, Carolyn and Arcee. And of course their arrival had to be right at the start of the holiday season. Erika and Emily both complained loudly about not being able to go out for hunting season, but Carolyn held firm, even though Optimus did set up a fake range for them. Not his best idea, seeing as Teddy had to see what his new friend, Tom, was doing. When Carolyn got back from her mission, the range was shut down…for a little while. Then Thanksgiving came around and they had a whole other problem. For the past few years, those who had families would go home, which they did this year. Everyone else normally had one big group meal down in the main hanger. But…..when you have person like Amanda "Scotty" Felton around, you can't just sit down, have a beer while the burgers sizzle on the grill and laugh as Bumblebee tries to be the Red Baron and get either Prowl or Mudflap to be Charlie Brown. No, there had to be a real turkey, well, turkeys and stuffing and potatoes and cranberry sauce and everything that was required for a Thanksgiving feast! Carolyn tried to point out that it would cost a lot of money, but when you are talking to a professional photographer and a very successful author, its kinda pointless. She then asked where they were going to cook the turkeys and Em finally popped in, laying out an extensive plan, with visual aids and everything. Carolyn agreed, but only if the girls got Optimus' permission to send some of the operatives into town for the shopping. It only took Em begging Ratchet for five minutes and then Ratchet flat out pleading with Optimus for it to happen.

"Optimus," Carolyn stepped off the elevator and headed straight for the Autobot leader. He looked up from a discussion with Prowl and Ironhide. Will nudged Epps and both headed over from where they had been cleaning some of their equipment.

"Yes?" Optimus frowned. Carolyn had that look on her face, the one that said he had better listen or else he was in trouble. That face was only seen when either a)he was going to do something absolutely stupid, even by his standards, b) someone else had done something absolutely stupid, or c) the "Girls" were cooking up another plan.

"We have exactly three weeks before Christmas. Do you know what that means?" she started pacing between the mechs, hands behind her back. She was dressed in a long dark brown jacket, the hood thrown back over her shoulders. Black pants were neatly tucked into her black boots, a mix between combat boots and something a model would wear.

"It means you are leaving for you mission early?" Optimus pondered. It was a legitimate question, she was an hour early. Mirage wasn't even here yet, still in with Que getting his blades checked out.

"No," she shot him a glare. Ah, so something earth shattering then. "It means that the "Girls" are going to start their Christmas Campaign. They missed out on Black Friday and I had Que make it impossible for them to order anything online, but they will not rest out till this place looks like Times Square or a Macy's store."

"So….no nice little balsam this year then?" Will sighed. Christmas was the one time of the year almost all of the NEST operatives went home. Which meant only Will, Carolyn, Epps and a few others were around to hold down the fort…literally.

"No, they'll lobby for one that reaches probably the ceiling in here for the Autobots and then one big enough in the main room upstairs," Carolyn sighed, still pacing. "And of course there will be a need for massive amounts of decorating, baking, cooking and shopping for presents. Which means they will want to go into town. Which means that if we allow it, we will be putting a lot of our men at risk."

"So it will not be allowed?" Ironhide frowned.

"Try telling a six year old that Mommy won't allow Christmas due to decorations and presents being a hinderance if the base is attacked," Carolyn huffed.

"They turned Teddy against you already? Damn, they are fast!" Epps chuckled.

"And Annabelle and Eva and Lisa," Carolyn grumbled, still pacing.

**I** cannot predict the future, I cannot change the past, I have just this moment... I will live it like my last.  
><em> Unknown<em>

Time passed in the Fortress, a little slowly for the newest arrivals, but pretty much life was normal. Snow now covered the landscape around the NEST headquarters, almost like a sort of camouflage. Reports came, patrols went out, life stayed a steady flow of activity for the NEST operatives. The girls were happy when Eva, Erika's agent, arrived, although somewhat surprised when she revealed she was a NEST agent. Things were starting to make sense for them…a little, but not completely. Of course, things will change when you add three very lively girls to the NEST mix, which was mainly all male except for a few agents, Carly, Carolyn and Arcee. And of course their arrival had to be right at the start of the holiday season. Erika and Emily both complained loudly about not being able to go out for hunting season, but Carolyn held firm, even though Optimus did set up a fake range for them. Not his best idea, seeing as Teddy had to see what his new friend, Tom, was doing. When Carolyn got back from her mission, the range was shut down…for a little while. Then Thanksgiving came around and they had a whole other problem. For the past few years, those who had families would go home, which they did this year. Everyone else normally had one big group meal down in the main hanger. But…..when you have person like Amanda "Scotty" Felton around, you can't just sit down, have a beer while the burgers sizzle on the grill and laugh as Bumblebee tries to be the Red Baron and get either Prowl or Mudflap to be Charlie Brown. No, there had to be a real turkey, well, turkeys and stuffing and potatoes and cranberry sauce and everything that was required for a Thanksgiving feast! Carolyn tried to point out that it would cost a lot of money, but when you are talking to a professional photographer and a very successful author, its kinda pointless. She then asked where they were going to cook the turkeys and Em finally popped in, laying out an extensive plan, with visual aids and everything. Carolyn agreed, but only if the girls got Optimus' permission to send some of the operatives into town for the shopping. It only took Em begging Ratchet for five minutes and then Ratchet flat out pleading with Optimus for it to happen.

"Optimus," Carolyn stepped off the elevator and headed straight for the Autobot leader. He looked up from a discussion with Prowl and Ironhide. Will nudged Epps and both headed over from where they had been cleaning some of their equipment.

"Yes?" Optimus frowned. Carolyn had that look on her face, the one that said he had better listen or else he was in trouble. That face was only seen when either a)he was going to do something absolutely stupid, even by his standards, b) someone else had done something absolutely stupid, or c) the "Girls" were cooking up another plan.

"We have exactly three weeks before Christmas. Do you know what that means?" she started pacing between the mechs, hands behind her back. She was dressed in a long dark brown jacket, the hood thrown back over her shoulders. Black pants were neatly tucked into her black boots, a mix between combat boots and something a model would wear.

"It means you are leaving for you mission early?" Optimus pondered. It was a legitimate question, she was an hour early. Mirage wasn't even here yet, still in with Que getting his blades checked out.

"No," she shot him a glare. Ah, so something earth shattering then. "It means that the "Girls" are going to start their Christmas Campaign. They missed out on Black Friday and I had Que make it impossible for them to order anything online, but they will not rest out till this place looks like Times Square or a Macy's store."

"So….no nice little balsam this year then?" Will sighed. Christmas was the one time of the year almost all of the NEST operatives went home. Which meant only Will, Carolyn, Epps and a few others were around to hold down the fort…literally.

"No, they'll lobby for one that reaches probably the ceiling in here for the Autobots and then one big enough in the main room upstairs," Carolyn sighed, still pacing. "And of course there will be a need for massive amounts of decorating, baking, cooking and shopping for presents. Which means they will want to go into town. Which means that if we allow it, we will be putting a lot of our men at risk."

"So it will not be allowed?" Ironhide frowned.

"Try telling a six year old that Mommy won't allow Christmas due to decorations and presents being a hindrance if the base is attacked," Carolyn huffed.

"They turned Teddy against you already? Damn, they are fast!" Epps chuckled.

"And Annabelle and Eva and Lisa," Carolyn grumbled. Will moved forward and grabbed her shoulders, stopping her pacing.

"Calm down," he held her still, rubbing his thumbs against her shoulders. "We will make sure no harm comes to any of them while they are away and I will personally make sure that Optimus does not cave to any of their attacks, ok?

Carolyn took a deep breath and nodded, "Alright. Do I really have to go?"

"It's fine for your friends to disappear, they do it all the time and its easy for us to create a cover story. We make you disappear and lots of people will start asking questions. Ragi will be there and Epps has volunteered to go along," Will pulled her into a hug.

"Really?" She peeked over Will's shoulder to look at the other man. He shrugged and looked down, scuffing his boot against the floor.

"I have some stuff I wanna talk to you about, anyway," Epps said softly. She raised an eyebrow, but before she could ask, Ragi skidded to a stop next to them, his passenger door popping open.

"Optimus said you were ready?" his holoform flickered to existence nearby as she and Will pulled apart.

"Yup," Carolyn nodded, looking the others over. "This place had better be standing when I come back."

"It will be. Scout's honor," Ironhide nodded, smirking as first Carolyn then Epps climbed into the now silver Ferrari. Will came over and leaned forward so he was looking down at the two.

"Behave, both of you. Epps, do not shoot anyone unless you have to. Carolyn, don't kill anyone unless you find it absolutely necessary. Got it?" both nodded and Will smiled. "Have fun at the conference."

The door slammed shut as soon as Will moved away and Ragi raced out of the hanger, Barricade falling in behind. At the gates, Jazz and Sunstreaker were waiting and took up their positions, Jazz in front, Sunstreaker pulling ahead to scout the road before them. Carolyn glanced at Epps, smiling a little, "So….."

"So….." Epps glanced at her, then back down at his hands.

"Spit it out, Epps," Ragi's holoform appeared in the driver's seat. "Which one is it?"

"Which one what?"

"Is it Em or Erika?"

"WHAT!"

"We aren't stupid," Carolyn nudged him. "It is why you wanted to talk to me, right?"

"Yeah," Epps sighed. "You're just about as bad as Will sometimes."

"Only sometimes?"

"Yup, sometimes."

"So, which one is it?"


	5. A Private Battle

Not ten minutes after the group left for the security conference, the elevator opened once more and the "Girls" stepped into the hanger. Erika was leading the way, her long legs covering the ground easily as she made her way over to where Will was sitting on Ironhide's shoulder, listening in on Ratchet's and Optimus' discussion. She looked ready for war, wearing a very bright Christmas sweatshirt, cargo pants and her converses. Her rabbit, Luna, was perched on her shoulder, glaring daggers at Ironhide. For some reason, 'Hide and little furry things didn't agree.

Behind her was Emily and Amanda. Amanda was wearing something that looked like a Christmas tree dress with high heels, practically bouncing. Emily walked at her side, the calmer of the three wearing nothing but a Billy Holiday t-shirt, jeans and flip flops. Will glanced at Ironhide, "Does it scare you as much as me?"

"Yup, the three of them together may just equal Kara's current evil score," Ironhide frowned. "This won't end well…..for us at least."

Will nodded as Erika stopped right in front of Optimus. She cocked her right hip and her hands went to her waist as she looked expectantly up at him. Optimus calmly looked down at her and the bouncing tree that was now standing beside her before focusing on Emily, "Yes?"

Erika huffed, silencing whatever Emily was going say, "I will not allow you to crush the dreams of the poor, helpless children upstairs because it's a security risk. We have a plan to show you with a risk analysis, price estimates and a timeline. You will not say no."

"That is for me to decide, Miss Nettles," Optimus replied, monotone. "You understand the risk we would be running if we allowed for you plans to be acted upon? We would be drawing limited resources away from the protection of yourselves and everyone within these walls. We will already be running with a limited crew during the holidays."

"We understand that, but that shouldn't stop this place from looking like it has some life to it," Amanda cut in, throwing up her hands. "It feels like a crypt in here. There's no color, no life! Only white and grey and black. Worst color scheme EVER!"

"It was a rational choice for the protection and well being of all. It lessens the chances of disagreements between personal over color schemes," Optimus countered. "Why waste time that is better spent training, in briefings, or learning to trust those you work with?"

"It's not a waste of time! It is a celebration of human life, of sticking to morals, of dreams from yester-year and the youthful change that comes over you this time of year!" Erika huffed. She continued to glare up at Optimus, who stared back calmly. It was Emily who stepped in, trying to be a voice of reason.

"Look, the plan that I created is flexible and easily changed. It doesn't have to go one way or the other. The one thing that will not be denied is the family Christmas for Carolyn, Will, Annabelle and Teddy," she crossed her arms, about to continue.

"What?" Will cut in, now confused."

"You currently are the only couple on base with children and it has been decided, whether you like it or not, that you and your family will have your own time for a Christmas celebration," Erika moved her glare to him.

"You can wake up early and open presents by the tree and have stockings by the fireplace!" Amanda was bouncing again. "It will be just lovely!"

"Hold on a minute there. 'Hide, let me down," Will tried to climb down the mech, but Ironhide grabbed a hold of him and kept the man in his hand. Will sighed and continued, "Look, not that I'm against having a…err….private Christmas will the kids and Carolyn, it's just that….you see….we had already decided that this year just isn't the time for one."

"And when is?" Erika raised an eyebrow. "Easter? Denying your child the joy of the Easter Bunny now, huh? I bet you are against all holidays, aren't you?"

"Only Columbus Day," Will countered, she'd hit a nerve there. "My children have a better understanding of the current situation than you do, Ms. Nettles. There will be no decorations, no celebrations and none of your usual holiday scheming. Understood?"

"Will, why don't you let myself and Ratchet handle this," Optimus moved so he was standing between the two humans. "Ironhide, you two go for a walk or drive, ok?"

"Yes, sir," Ironhide nodded before moving away from the terrible duo and their conscience. As Ironhide headed towards the hanger entrance, Will caught part of Emily's rant on Erika being an insensitive hermit with no right to assume their feelings on private matters. Will could see why Carolyn had trouble saying no to Emily. He wondered why the others hadn't figured that out yet. Ironhide gently set Will down, nodding to the coats hanging by the door, "Grab one, we're walking up to the house."

Will nodded, grabbing one and quickly pulling it on. Even though the two had been separated for about two years, Ironhide still knew how to read Will, knew what he needed and when he needed it. Ironhide opened the door and stepped outside, Will right next to him. He shut the door before transforming into his alt mode and turning on his holoform, appearing next to Will. He was an older man, black hair peppered with grey, face heavily tanned and scarred. He was dressed similarly to Will, except he had sunglasses on. He started up and around the cliff, heading for where the road headed up the hill side of the base. Will fell into step, hands in pockets, eyes focused on the ground. They walked in silence, the only sound the crunch of snow beneath their feet and the soft rumble of the engine behind them. Will realized that he were just a civi, having a truck following you with no one driving would remind him of a horror movie.

"No Christmas?" Ironhide said softly as they started up the road to the house.

"Annabelle and Teddy came to us first about it. Annabelle didn't want us distracted from getting who got Sarah and Teddy, being Teddy, said that we wouldn't even be home Christmas day to celebrate. We just don't ask him anymore, just accept it. I'm teaching my teenage daughter how to shoot a machine gun, 'Hide, when I should be thinking out her games or her recitals. She can't even go to school and all she's worried about is protecting Teddy," Will let out a dry chuckle. "And I was worried about boys."

"You were right, then," Ironhide nodded and Will glanced at him, curious. "That your children have a better idea of what's going on than the girls."

"But they've grown up with it. This is all Teddy's ever known," Will ran a hand through his hair, noticing it was starting to snow. "Some days I feel like the world's worst dad."

"But you are not. You have raise Annabelle into a beautiful young woman and even though you didn't know, you and Carolyn raised Teddy better than anyone else."

"Thanks, 'Hide. That means a lot."

"Come, I'm sure the children can brief us on Emily's plan."


End file.
